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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. can — a tin
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lie — to recline
  6. staff — a stick
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — to tease
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bulb — for light
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cell — in biology
  21. perch — the fish
  22. can — a tin
  23. staff — employees
  24. kid — child

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com